Case Review (3 of 6)

Contagion and Fleas

The condition did not seem to be contagious as the dog lived in close proximity with another dog and the owners for two years and during that time the other dog was perfectly all right.

We cannot be sure about lack of contagiousness because the other dog and the owners might have been immune to the condition.  Bacterial skin infections in dogs are not contagious.

There was close contact between the owner and the dog.  It even slept on her bed, and yet she was without lesions as were other members of her family despite the observation of fleas just a few weeks before.  

Fleas could still be a problem; they seem to prefer dogs and cats and owners generally are not bitten if the pets are about.

There is a possibility of flea bite hypersensitivity in the dog. However, the lesion distribution is not typical and the disease had a period of remission during the winter.  Intensive flea control could have eliminated fleas during the winter but the owners' control method (a single bath with shampoo from the pet shop) would not have done this.  Thus flea hypersensitivity is unlikely.